


Just the Beginning

by bmw4fh1017



Series: After the Winter Soldier [7]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-24 22:47:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20022277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmw4fh1017/pseuds/bmw4fh1017
Summary: While Steve is called into action by Sam and Nat, Bucky spends some time alone in Wakanda.A nice peaceful moment before the impending war which follows.





	Just the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Most of the plot points in the beginning of Infinity War I plan on keeping intact. This is how I get Steve to Scotland and Bucky in Wakanda. He may not have been there for the past two years, but I want him to visit that beautiful landscape we see in Black Panther's end credit scene.

Bucky originally had his doubts about being in Wakanda. He would have been fine staying in Brooklyn alone. But Steve had other ideas. So Captain America dropped off his boyfriend with King T’Challa and his family while he was called in as backup by Falcon.

Bucky had no idea what Steve was doing in Scotland. Only that he, Sam and Wanda were illegally coming out of retirement to work with Nat and Vision who were illegally working against the Sokovia Accords.

Steve had given Bucky the option to join him. But he didn’t bother to hide how relieved he had been when Bucky declined his offer. Bucky knew that everyone was safer if he hadn’t gone. He wasn’t afraid that he would hurt anyone; but Steve had proved time and time again that he would go out of his way to protect his Bucky.

T’Challa had important Kingly duties the day when Bucky arrived; so Bucky was told not to break anything and was left alone. He wandered out to the Wakandan country side. It wasn’t that much of a walk. He kept looking back to make sure he could still see the capital city.

He stopped in front of a pond that overlooked a bunch of trees. He sat down and lazily traced his finger through the clear water. A few baby goats from a close-by farm wandered around. One particularly small kid stopped and placed his head on Bucky’s thigh. He smiled and pet the goat’s head as he bleated happily. It was peaceful. A feeling he’d never truly experienced— neither in his life as James Barnes or the Winter Soldier

Most of his childhood had taken place in Brooklyn or the other boroughs of New York. Bucky had never spent too much time out in nature. Sure back in the 20s, before the depression hit, his family used to go out to Long Island for about a week in the summer. But that always included a lot of people, stuffy quarters, and screaming kids. It was never very enjoyable for Bucky— even if he had been allowed to bring Steve in ’26 and ’27; the latter being their last family trip.

Once he was drafted, he was out of the city and got to see some of Europe. He would have appreciated it more if it wasn’t for the war going on around him.

His decades as the Winter Soldier were mostly spent frozen in Siberia or on missions. A few of those missions weren’t in cities but most were close; like the one in December of ’91. Coincidentally that was the first time he had been on Long Island in about sixty-five years.

Once he returned to Steve, the two had lived primarily in Avenger’s tower and their apartment in Brooklyn. Even the Avengers compound in upstate New York was always surrounded by the noise of Quinjets and whatever new tech Tony was playing with.

This was his first time truly alone out in nature. He liked it. Maybe he could convince Steve to stay in Wakanda a few days after he was done in Scotland. Their first family vacation in the 21st century.

He wasn’t sure how long he had stayed out there. He only looked away from the landscape when he sensed someone sitting down beside him.

“It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?” Shuri asked.

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded. The goat, still resting on Bucky, gave his opinion too.

“If you wish to stay out here, I understand. But Steve said I should show you my lab,” Shuri suggested.

Bucky’s face lit up, “Yeah. That’d be great.”

Shuri got up from the ground and started to head back to the capital. Bucky placed a kiss on the goat’s head before getting up and following her.

Bucky had always been interested in science. The other boys he boxed with in his childhood and adolescence never understood. Neither did the 107th division and the Howling Commandos. Even Steve hadn’t shared this interest with him. Sure Steve humored him. He listened dutifully as Bucky read from the plethora of books he got from the library and followed him through the World Exhibition of Tomorrow back in ’43.

During his time with the Commandos, Howard Stark had shown him what limited tech he had in Europe. In this century, Tony hadn’t let Bucky in his lab. It’s not that he didn’t like Bucky or trust him. There just never seemed to be enough room for anyone to watch. Tony liked to keep his work room messy. The only person who watched Tony was Peter, and that’s because the kid could use his Spidey-powers to watch while hanging on the wall or ceiling.

Shuri’s lab was better than anything he could have imagined. It topped everything he had seen in both centuries. It seemed like Shuri had the same philosophy as Tony: just because something works, doesn’t mean it cannot be improved. She rattled off the improvements that could be made to everything while the only adjective Bucky found suitable was perfect.

“Hey, what’s on your shoulder?” Shuri asked as Bucky reached up to touch something with his left arm.

“Oh,” Bucky said, quickly pulling at the sleeve of his favorite Captain America t-shirt, “It’s nothing.”

“It’s a red star,” Shuri told him, “I see that. But why is it faded?”

“It was Hydra’s mark on me,” Bucky confessed, “Tony once compared it to a brand on a cow. I tried to use metal wool to get it off, but it made scratches in the actual metal and Steve didn’t like it; so I stopped.”

“Is it just the star you don’t like or the whole arm?” Shuri asked.

“I mean, I would prefer my real arm over anything. But this arm gets the job done just fine. I wish it wasn’t obviously Hydra’s though. I guess I don’t really like it too much,” he confessed.

Shuri broke out into a smile, “Good. Because I’ve waited for two years to make you a vibranium one.”

**Author's Note:**

> Not only does this story set up Infinity War, but I love Bucky's new arm and needed an excuse for him to have it since Tony doesn't blow off his old arm in this universe. 
> 
> I also love Bucky being interested in science. People always brand him as a killer like Natasha, but that was only as the Winter Soldier. Bucky Barnes as a human, drags his best friend to see flying cars and marvels at Wakanda's technology. 
> 
> Now it's time to get ready for Thanos! Even in a modified universe: he is inevitable! 
> 
> Thanks for all the comments on my previous stories and I hope you enjoy this one just as much!


End file.
